Valve



Jan. 17, 192s.

K. A. ENZ

VALVE Filed Dec. 2o'. 1924 1 75M la.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ottoznugs Jan. 17, 1928.-

VALVE Filed Dec. 20, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet' 3 K. A. ENZ v VALVE' Filed Deo. 20, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ,jj l

73M- fgw f ffzdm albumi,

Patented Jan. 17, `1928.

UNITED STATES KARL A'. ENZ, 0F CLEVELAND, 10H10.

vanvn.

Application illed December 20, 1924. Serial N0. 757,217.

This invention relates to improvements in valve structures and operating mechanism' therefor, for controlling the ,iow of any fluid, as for instance water, steam, or gases, and is especially adapted for use' 11i connection with the water-way of a. hydraulic turbine or irrigating system.` This application is a companion of other applications which are being filed by the same applicant of even date herewith.

The objects of the present invention are to provide such a 'valve'structurewhich is leak-proof and capable of being easily operated and which at the same time does not reduce the section or area of the water-way or other Huid conduit,fas' it is swung into fully open position; also to provide such a device which is substantially free from danger. of accident lwhich might otherwise be caused tothe mechanism by lodging of solid material between -the valve itself and the walls of the fluid conduit.

Another object o' the `present particular form of device is to provide electrical means for controlling the opening and closing movements of the valve, although mechani. cal means may be employed for performing the same operations. Q

More speciflcally, the present invention consists'in a dise or valve and valve seat therefor yprovided with inter-engaging por-u tions of corresponding form and in which the valve itselfis adapted to be unseated or seated by movements 1n a direction substantially normal to the'general plane. of the valve seat and which is ada ted to be lswung into and out of registry or alignment with the seat.

. That is to sa 1n performing the opening it is the valve in a Other objectsfoftlu'spresent'inventionwill operation of t e valve, it is 'first unseated by a distinct movement "along a substantially straight line in a direction .away vfrom the valve seat and then swung'bodll aboutv a center into ully open pos1tion,'t is swingil Amovement being distinct. from the strailxitline movement;.to. close the valve, n swung into registry `with the valve preliminary to' the seating move- K'erformedso as to move' t line substantially norplan'e of' the (valve Jopenin -ment w 'ch is then mal' to the v general a from-'the following' description' and egg; hen censidetedutogethen, with-,the dn :l Y V .ns1 *1 le wie ,taken on line 5-'5,

. the crank arm 15 .ing withA v'which 'the shaft 19v through The shaf t19 rs lby the vmounted thereon, this last vice. lFig. 2 shows the same in' elevation; Fig. 3 1s a sectional view taken online'3-3, Flg. 4; a line 4 4, ig. 3; Fi 5 is assectional view ig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatical view of the electric control system. p L

The tubular portion l forms part of the water-way or other iuid conduit leading to the` turbine and is provided with a valve seat` wh1ch is here shown as being of substantially spherical form and which is adapted to be engaged by the marginal ortion of the discI or valve 2 for effectively c osin the opening. The marginal seatV portion vo the valve is of course of the form or shape corresponding to that of the valve seat and suitable sealing gaskets 3 may be provided; so that a substantial leak-proof closure. may be effected. The tubular portion 1 has an .opening through one side thereof, as clearly indicated in Figs. 4 and 5 such opening communlcating with the chamber 4 which is enclosed by,V the casing 5 and which surrounds the tubular portion 1.

The. means for moving the valve along a straight line so as to seater unseat the same, as above briefly explained, comprises an eccentric 6 which is adapted to operate about the point Z for engagement and-actua- .tion of .the strap or st1rrup 8 surrounding the saie,4 Such a combination of eccentric` and strap tion of each of the two side members 9 which extend from the valve or gate 2.

The eccentrics 6 are fixedly mounted-upon, the stub shafts 10|so as to be operated theresuitably' mounted in y.

by, such vshafts being the walls o'f the casing 5 and the tubular portion 1. The eccentric 6 in eachcase is operated by the crank arm 1 1- which is secured at the outer end of the stub shaft 10 andthe other end of which has pivotal connection 12 wlth one A'end of the connecting rod or link 13. The other end of the Vrod 13 or stirrup is provided for actua- J4: is a sectional view taken on has pivotal connection at the point 14 with .mounted on the inner shaft 16. The sha 1,6 is .adapted to be voperated b meansrofthe ar 17 mounted thereupon, t 's and being drivenby t ilturn'is adapted for op vthe magnetlc clutch 20.-

, geel' named gear driven waarmee-e 'It is to .be understood that during the upon the rotor of the reversible electric motor 23. So that u on operation of the motor 23 and throug the several connections just now described, that is when the magnetic clutch 20 is energized, the eccentric 6 will be actuated so as tocause seating or unse-ating movement of the valve 2 in a direction substantially normal to the general .plane of the valve opening, according to whether .the motor"23 is operated in one direction or the other. That is to say, the motor 23 is operated in one direction and the parts driven thereby are likewise actuated in the corresponding direction to unseat the valve, lwhereas the seating operation of the valve is effected by operation of the motor 23 in the opposite dlrection.

The means for effecting the swinging movement of the valve so as to move the Q same into and out of registry and alignment with the valve opening comprises the lracks 24.- which are provided 4upon the wings or sides 9 of the valve, these racks being of segmental or sector shape, as clearly' indicated in Fig. 4, and being -gidapted to be operated by the meshing pinions 25 which are fixed upon the outer hollow shaft 26. The sides of the gate or valve and the rack portions provided thereon together with the meshing pinions 25 are all arranged within the chamber 4, that is between the tubular portion 1 and the outer casing 5 so as not to obstruct the flow of water through the tubular part of the water-way or other fiuid conduit. The hollow shaft 26 surrounds the inner shaft 16 and is o erated independently of the shaft 16 and) driven by the gear 27 fixed thereon, which in turn 1s driven by the meshing gear 28. Through'the 'connection of a magnetic clutch 29 power is transmitted from the shaft 19, which is the same shaft upon which the other magnetic clutch 18 already referred to is mounted. These two magnetic. clutches 18 and 29 are however energized independently and at different times, as will be more fully explained, so as to perform the seating or unseating and closing or opening of the valve as separate and distinct movements'. So that upoir'cnergization of the magnetic clutch 29, the motor will cause actuation of the parts just now described so as to effect swinging movement of the valve for opening or closing the same, according to the direction in which the motor is operated.

swinging movement of the valve, as just now explained, the straps or stirrups 8A which are fixed theretosince they form part of the side members 9, are rotated about the center 8 whichrepresents the true center of the stirrup or strap 8. With this arrangement it is possible to actuatc the eccentrics so as to unseat the valve,

for instance, and then upon stopping such -unseating operais adapted to b'eoperation of the valve.

tion the stirrup or-strap can be rotated proper relation forv actuation of the eccentries for the purpose of seatingy the valve. It is to be -further understood that upon completion of theseating operation the eccentrics 6 will remain in the position to which they have then been brought, 'by virtue of the friction between the gears and other parts, so that there will be no overrunningof the eccentrics and no danger of the eccentrics being accidentally ldisturbed by the swinging operation which then follows. A. seating portion 2a may be provided so as tovserve -as astop for the valve for the purpose of limiting the swinging movement of the valve as it is returned to position in alignment with the valve openin gl`he electric system for controlling the several' operations above referred to, so as "to effect and preserve the proper sequence of the same, will be readily understood from the diagram in Fig. .6. Before referring to the electric diagram, mentionshould be made of the control or Contact drum 30 which is mounted upon the shaft of the gear 31 whichv movement of the valve, and' the Contact 35 for vautomatically stopping the motor upon completion of either the opening or closing These several contacts are provided with co-operating brushes pinion being fixed upon the 33", 34, and 35EL respectively, which are arranged in the circuits of the control system, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The circuit through the magnetic clutch 20 is controlled the` switch 36 which is ada ted to be cli'ised by the electro-magnet 37, t iat is upon completlon ofthe circuit through the contact portion 33. The switch 36 is normally o cned by the spring 38 exce t when held e osed by the .magnet 37. likewise the electro-magnetic clutch 29 is energized when the switch 39 is closed so as to complete the circuit therethrough, such circuit being completed only whenthe contact 34 co-operates with the brushes 34* which close the circuit at this oint. VThe switch 39 is adapted to be. close by means of electro-magnet 40 and, ex'- cept when so closed, this switch is heldopen e period slightljr by means of spring 41. The contact portions 33 and 34 are so arranged with respect to each other that immediately, upon breaking of the circuit through the contact 33, further rotation' of the drum 30 will cause the conthe-main line circuit is closed through'the4 brushes 35Et and .the corresponding contact portion 35, it being noted that this Contact portion is so arranged with respect to the ^other contact portions 33 and 34that the et'- fective 'part of the contact 35 begins slightly before 'that of the contact 33 and continues v until slightly after the breaking of the circuit through contact 34. With this arrangement the '.motor-is actually operated only for a longer than the combined period corrspondin to the seating and unseatingand. swinging movements of the valve,l 'Thatis to say,.the motor is set into operation just immediately prior to the closing of the circuit through the irst magnetic clutch 20v an the other is automatically vstopped upon e-energization of the second magnetic clutch 29, that is during the opening r operation of the valve; and likewise upon closmg the valve, the motor is set into operay for engagement .flier-just now described,!thecircuit throu hI sa 30 so as to immediately stop the same.'

'motor is in operation. Upon ,the motor bein tion just immediately prior to the swinging .movement of the valve and .is automatically stopped immediately after breaking of the circuit correspondngto the contact portionv 33, or in other words assoon as the valve has been effectively seated.l As a means of pre-k venting coasting or over-running of the drum 30 upon cutting out motor .in the manner just now described,1 have provided a brake 42 with-the drum 30, this brake bein automatically vand' normally applied to the rumpby means of spring 43 which engages onefendof".,tl1elever` arm 44 u on which the brakel shoe 42 is' mounted. lease ofthe brake' iseifected by means of;

electric magnet" I'i5/which is included in the L motor," circuit- SQ, that .the brake is held in the drum 30fduring all lthe, time that the automaticallystopped Lhowever, in -lthe man- 'the' magnet 45 is automatically applied to t e lt willbeunderstood that the several con- 'tactsj 33:34 fand only part` way forminglthg which is direction' 01* Per and the brushes 35% magnet 45 is energized so as to hold the diately Jumilla th-ffll'umference of the drum 30.

psn'f "parution of the; valve A irec'tion for performing- 35 for holding the circuit 'closed through the p motor during the opening and closing opera tion of thevalve, I have provided the switch Briefly, the entire operation of the present improved device is as follows: The main `47, the

line circuit is closed through the motor so e as to run in the properdirection according to whether the valve vis to be opened or closed, andthen upon momentarily closing the switch 46 the drum 30 will be rotated so as to close the holding main linecircuit for the motor through the contact portion 35 At the same time the brake in released position. Almost immeupon completing the motor circuit through the contactportion 35, the Contact portion 33 is brought into engagement with the brushes 33 so as to com Tete the circuit through the magnet 37 and t ereby close the switch 36 which completes the circuit through the electro-magnet 20. The inner shaft 16 is thereupon rotated through the several connections already describedv and the valve is unseated by actuation of the eccentrics. Completion of thisunseating operation is followed automatically and practically immediately by closing of the circuit through the contacty ortion 34, the inner shaft 16 being stoppe and held in inactive position through the friction of the parts upon automaticall cuttin out of the electrofmagneticrclutc 20. losing of the circuit through the brushes 34a. and contact 34 renders the electromagnet-40 active so as to A loo close the' switch 39 and, maintain the same -.c10sedso .as to energize the magnetic clutch release posltionto permit free operation of 29'so 1ong as ythe contact portion 34 is eective.- Closing of the clutch 29 causes operafective to produce the swinging or o ning movement of the valve. When the va ve has been swung to fully open position the circuit f opened b drum 30, and a most immediately thereafter the1`fcircuitV is also automatically broken through the ontact portion 35 and brushes Bi so as tolstop the motor/,and automati` ca y' apply vthe brake. Then v in order' to cloecl the valve, the reverse operations are followed. Uponstarting the motor in the through 'the contactlportion 35 is automat continued rotation ofthe' duit to seat or unseat the same.

proper direction for performing the closing operation and upon closing the momentary switch 46 for a brief interval of time the drum 30 will be rotated inthe opposite direction so as to perform the` several operations just now recited in the reverse orderthe valve being swung into position in alignment with the valve opening by energization of the clutch 29 which is then automatically de-energized, immediately after which the valve is effectively seated by energization of the magnetic clutch 20 which is in turn automatically de-energized upon completion of the Seating operation. The motor is then automatically cut out and the brake automatically applied.

It is to be understood that the form of fluid conduit and valvemight be varied according to the spirit of my invention and that other means might be devised for performing the operations coniprehended by my` invention.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a valvestructure, a easing having a chamber and a conduit portion extending therethrough, the conduit having an opening into the chamber and a circumferential valve seat adjacent the opening, avalve having a face adapted to cooperate with said seat to close the passage through said conduit, and a face substantially similar to that of the section of said conduit cut away to lform said opening, said valve being mounted in said casing for swinging movement between a position in alignment with said seat and a position in said opening, and being provided with a toothed segmental member in said chamber, a pinion engaging `said member and rotatable to l"effect said swinging movement ofsaid valve, means without said conduit for moving said valve in said aligned position thereof longitudinally of said con- 2. In a valve structure, a casing having a chamber and a conduit ortion extending therethrough, the conduit aving an opening into the chamber and a circumferential valve seat adjacent the opening, a valve having a face adapted toY cooperate with saidseat to close the passage through said conduit, and a faee'substantially similar t that of the section of said conduit cut 'away'to form" said opening, said valve being mounted on bearings in said casing outside said conduit chamber and a conduit portion extending therethrough, the conduit having an opening into the chamber and a circumferential valve seat adjacent the opening, a valve having a face 'adapted to cooperate with said seat to close the passage through said conduit, and

Y a face substantially similar to that of the section of said conduit cut away to form said opening, said valve being mounted on bearings in said casing outside said conduit for swinging movement between a position 'in alignment with saidseat and a position in saiil opening, andbeing provided with a toothed segmental member in said chamber, a pinion engaging said member and rotatable to effect said swinging valve movement, said pinion being secured upon a hollow shaft mounted in said casing, eccentric mountings for said bearings adapted for angular movement to seat or unseat said valve by movement longitudinal of said conduit in said aligned position of the valve, said mountings being in such` angular arrangement that the meshing relation between said segmental member and said pinion is not materially alteredby said valve seating movement, a solid shaft extending within said hollow shaft, connections-between said ysolid shaft and saidA eccentric mountings for actuating .R

to unseat and swing said valve to clear said conduit, or to align said valve with said seat and seat the same.

In testimony whereof I hereby atiix my si ature. c gn y KARLl A. ENZ. 

